Julia Donaldson has established herself as an excellent children's writer. With success such as The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, these books have become a firm fixture in many homes and nurseries alike. The simple rhyming structure allows young children to pick up on the sing-song pattern of the words. It encourages children to join in and recite their favourite parts.

This set is an absolute bargainfor anyone new to Julia Donaldson's stories. Children will soon fall in love with The Gruffalo. The story follows a mouse through the wood trying hard not to get eaten by the animals it meets along its way. The mouse invents a mystical creature with orange eyes, knobbly knees and turned out toes - or so it thinks. Until the mouse runs into a Gruffalo and has to convince the Gruffalo not to eat it. So the mouse takes it back through the wood introducing it all the previous creatures, who are by now petrified of the Gruffalo. The mouse lives to tell the tale and finally gets its nut.

A Squash and a Squeeze is a delightful story about an elderly lady living in a small house. She asks for help to make the house bigger and is advised to fill it with various animals. By the end the house is so full when the old man tells her to let the animals go, the house is magically transformed to the bigger house she initially wanted. Accompanied by a lovely song to the words, it makes use of Donaldson's excellent rhyming to great use.

The Smartest Giant in Town follows a kindly giant who buys himself some new clothes to replace his tatty old gown and sandals. Whilst on his travels he meets a variety of characters that need his help in some way. For example the giraffe who is cold receives the giants scarf, and the fox receives a sock for a bed. After giving up his belt, his trousers fall down which is always met by big laughs from the children. He finally puts on his old clothes and becomes the kindest giant in town.

A fantastic set, well worth the money.